When you hear the word "writer", possibly a few stereotypical images come to your mind.

Who is a writer? 

The writer sits in a small hut in the middle of the wilderness and does not leave his solitude for weeks. His companions are pipe, alcohol and a thick beard. Or he sits at home, at a desk in front of the window. There is a big bookcase, a typewriter, and an oversized armchair on which he sits to read a printed manuscript. Or he lives the life of an artist, struggling with addictions and writing his best work when he is drunk or depressed. He should also be poor, have a difficult childhood and have a complex attitude toward personal hygiene. 

Of course, we cannot forget about the stereotypical age requirements. A writer should be a middle-aged, slim-built male because he hardly eats. The bark beetles on his desk eat more than he does. 

But what about female writers? The female writer is a maddened woman who either has no family, and thus her unfulfilled dreams shine through her writing, or she has a family, children, dogs and cats, and miraculously still can publish book after book. She is likely to be very fit. After all, she runs 5k every day before she starts writing. Or, she is overweight because she only sits at her desk. Still, the female writer stretches her day like rubber, her superpower. Male writers obviously do not need to be mindful of their time; they have plenty of it. The scamming bark beetles measure their time.

One should consider the harmful stereotypes that can cut many writers' wings. 

How much money does writing bring? 

There is a belief that writing does not bring much, if any, money and, therefore, is not more than a whim, a hobby, or a phase. "One needs to get a decent job, not scribbling on papers. One should not practice graphomania. And who would read a book by a no-name, anyway?"

Stereotypes can also drive opinions the other way. "How much effort does it take to write a book? Give me a week, and I'll write half a book for you! If writing was that tricky, so and so would not publish a book every year. What's the matter with you? Why is it taking you so long?"

How long does writing a good book take? 

Let's not forget that valuable books take a long time to create. A few years is a minimum. Ten years is obviously (!) an optimum. The fact that a book has been written for many years (because, for instance, the writer did not use a laptop) does not mean that it is the only measurable value. Some books have been written in just under a year, and I think they are great. Some have been written for over ten years and are also great. 

Let's recognise some of these as vastly exaggerated stereotypes. Some may be rooted in the truth but come from different times. 

Nowadays, we need empowering opinions about writing, so let's not listen to those from a hundred years ago. 

What does a writer apparently need to start writing? 

A range of advice for a successful self-starter comes from media and anecdotes. The writer apparently needs: 

• A desk by the window, a large one. 

• Typewriter or laptop (so she can travel to exotic places with it). 

• Big room. 

• Bookshelves bending under the weight of classical literature and award-winning masterworks. After all, a writer should be read in so-called high literature; otherwise, they will not be able to recognise apparent shortfalls in their own writing. And, of course, they must keep comparing themselves to these successful authors. 

• A bin by the desk to throw away hopeless ideas. Though Margaret Atwood says the wastebasket is your friend. 

• Of course, a cat would also be helpful. After all, a writer has to get up from the desk from time to time—feeding the cat is a perfect excuse (better than feeding a writer). 

• A beautiful notebook filled with calligraphic notes, without errors and cross-outs.

• There should be a pinboard on the wall for pinning notes. Actually, why should writers limit themselves? Let's cover the whole wall in notes and use different-coloured threads to connect pins of plot points. We've seen these complex connection maps in crime series. We know the drill.

What does a writer really need to start writing? 

However, what you really need is something to write on. It could be a fancy new laptop or an old computer that needs half an hour to turn on, as long as it opens a text document and connects to the Internet. 

Backups are a must-have, a non-negotiable aspect of a writer's life. If writing a book is an "analogue task" for you, i.e. you use a pen and notebook, take pictures of your text pages with your phone and send them to the cloud by email. Backup is your friend and is even better than the waste bin. You can also use a text document on your phone and let it automatically back up or send it to your email whenever you finish writing a piece. 

A writer's head is their most important piece of equipment. That's where ideas are born. That's where motivation comes from. 

You can have bookshelves, a cat, and a laptop, but without your head and mind…, you won't write much. And you have to take care of your head like the most valuable equipment. I'm not just talking about good sleep and healthy eating but caring for your writer's well-being. I'll mention it in one of my next blog posts, but for now, remember—your head is essential, even more so than the backup.

Should a writer wait for an inspirational idea? 

A writer should have a plethora of ideas. Every night, a new dream gives rise to a new book. Desk drawers cannot be closed due to best-selling novel ideas pouring out of them. But, stereotypically, even the best idea means nothing without inspiration. After all, without inspiration, there is no writing. 

A writer should wait for the flow of writing, fluids from space that put words into the writer's fingertips. It is blasphemy to start writing without inspiration. It is an insult to the goddess of creativity. And a waste of time.

However, I am convinced that it is worth preparing for inspiration by writing regularly. If benevolent inspiration arises, you are ready to create on the wave that carries you. From my own experience, there are days when ideas float somewhere on the edge of my consciousness. None of them is clear enough for me to put words to them, describe them, or use them until I grab a pen and paper. 

Don't wait for inspiration; be prepared for it instead. When it appears, you will be able to use it completely.

Does a writer need "a plan"?

Interestingly, this is not so important to a writer's status quo but seems to be crucial to others.

"You imagine you will write a book and become the next Rowling? Do you think you will write and what? I cannot see any publishers queuing up. And you have a plan for what you will do next, don't you? If it doesn't work out for you, you obviously need to have a plan!"

This is where I will give you my personal comment. 

Your plan should help you follow your chosen path with courage, determination and an open mind. 

There is an obstacle in the way; okay, let's change the route. Let's try to do it differently and open our minds to new solutions.

An insurmountable obstacle? Okay, let's wait for it to remove itself, but we can also make a path around it. It will take us longer, but determination allows us to move toward our dream.

Sometimes, our plan should be—let's go on a "becoming a writer" tour because we feel that "this is it." However, halfway through, we realise that it is no longer in line with who we want to be and our values. It can be scary to leave the path we proudly announced to everyone, change the direction again, try something new… But courage comes from fear, not from a lack of it.

In summary, to become a writer, one needs:

• Head on their shoulders.

• Something to write on.

• Backup copies.

• An idea (one is enough)

• Courage, determination and an open mind.

• A cat (optional)

It is not a cabin in the woods, calligraphic notes or a beard that makes a writer. Writing grows from within. 

Do you remember how they used to scare you that if you ate a watermelon seed, a new watermelon would grow in your belly? Think similarly about your writing. 

Have you swallowed the writing seed of creativity? Let it grow inside you.